Doctor of Philosophy
Admission Requirements
The University’s general admission
requirements are discussed here.
Application for admission to the
Ph.D. program should normally include (1) a GMAT test score of 600 that is
advisable based on our experience with student success in the program, (2) an
undergraduate degree with a good academic record from an accredited institution
of higher learning, (3) letters of recommendation, and (4) a personal statement
of goals in relation to seeking the degree. In the case of international
students, TOEFL scores or other evidence of English proficiency are required.
No student will be admitted without the approval of the concentration area to
which the student applies. For additional information, contact the Office of
the Director of Ph.D. programs in the School of Management. Financial
support is often available to PhD students in the form of teaching
assistantships and / or scholarships.
Degree Requirements
The University’s general degree
requirements are discussed here.
Each doctoral candidate is required
to complete a minimum of 90 semester credit hours of applicable graduate work
in specific program areas beyond the baccalaureate and prerequisites.
Throughout their programs of study at the university, Ph.D. students are
encouraged to participate in ongoing research activities and to develop their
own lines of research. Research activities include research seminars, directed
reading courses and research assistantships. Research supervision is available
in the areas of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Information Systems,
International Management Studies (housed within the Organizations, Strategy and
International Management [OSIM] area), Marketing, Operations Management, and
Operations Research.
Ph.D. in International Management
Studies
Students may enter the IMS doctoral
program after previous graduate training or directly from undergraduate
programs. Desirable educational backgrounds include graduate training in
any area of business and graduate or undergraduate degrees in areas such as
economics, sociology, political science, mathematics, and engineering, although
students from all areas are considered.
The IMS Ph.D. curriculum includes a
business foundation, core courses, advanced seminars, a methodology
requirement, directed readings and independent research courses, and the
dissertation. All students must take the Ph.D. courses that are offered in each
of the first two years in the program.
Students must pass the comprehensive
qualifying examination, which is administered at the end of the second year of
study when all the relevant course requirements (* below) have been
satisfied. It is intended to assess the student’s mastery of the basic
theories and methodologies central to the program and to evaluate the student’s
potential to do original research in an area of specialization. After
passing the comprehensive exam, each student writes a dissertation
proposal. This must be completed within six months of the comprehensive
exam. The proposal is defended before a faculty committee appointed in
consultation with the student, dissertation chair, and Ph.D. advisor.
This committee also serves as the supervising committee for the dissertation after
the proposal is approved.
Foundation Courses (minimum of 12
hours)
These courses provide a foundation
in basic business topics such as economics, marketing, finance, and accounting.
These courses may be waived for students with master’s degrees in management or
other academic backgrounds that provide an equivalent foundation.
Core Courses (21 hours)*
OB 7300 Organization Theory
MAS 8v42 Organizational Behavior
IMS 7300 International Management
IMS 8v40 International Business
BPS 7300 Strategic Management
BPS 7303 Doctoral Teaching and Writing Seminar
MAS 8v51 Advanced Strategic Management
Advanced Seminars (9 hours)*
Advanced seminars are offered on
topics in international management, organizational behavior, organization
theory, and strategic management. These courses are an opportunity for students
to explore areas of study in greater depth, to develop short-term research
projects, and to develop working relationships with faculty members with a view
towards research publications and the dissertation.
Research Methods (15 hours)*
OB 7303 Research Design
OPRE 6301 Quantitative Introduction to Risk and Uncertainty in Business
or POEC 5313 Policy Data Analysis I or STAT 5311 Applied Statistics for
Management Science I**
STAT 5312 Regression Analysis or POEC 5316 Policy Data Analysis II**
POEC 5331 Econometrics**
OB 7306 Macro-Organizational Empirical Investigation
Students are encouraged to take
additional methods courses consistent with their research interests.
**Students desiring a methods
sequence with a greater emphasis on mathematical statistics may substitute OPRE
6330 or STAT 5351, STAT 5352, and MECO 6320 for these three courses.
Directed readings and independent
research courses (21 hours)
Students can take further courses
with selected faculty members to develop more specialized knowledge in areas of
research interest before and after the comprehensive exam.
Dissertation (minimum of 15 hours)
The Ph.D. degree is conferred when
the dissertation is successfully defended.
Ph.D. in Management Science
The Ph.D. program in Management
Science is characterized by a high ratio of research faculty to students, which
fosters close working relationships. Core and elective courses provide the
students with a thorough understanding of management principles. Course work
incorporates a broad business outlook into the study of theory and practice. A
sequence of Ph.D. seminars exposes students to traditional and emerging
research issues. Students have the opportunity to be involved in ongoing
research projects under the mentorship of experienced faculty. We emphasize
involving students in research early in their graduate careers. The close
interaction with faculty members enables students to quickly learn to identify
and develop research ideas and create their own research agenda. Students also
develop their teaching competence under faculty mentorship by teaching
organized classes.
The course of study for the Ph.D. in
Management Science consists of three phases. First is attaining a
background in business concepts. Second are the requirements for doctoral
proficiency. Third is the dissertation. Each area of study –
Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, Marketing, and Operations Management
– determines the specific requirements for the three phases. Details can
be obtained from the Director of the Ph.D. programs in the School of
Management.
Students admitted into the program
typically devote two years to the doctoral proficiency course work and research
projects. They then take a comprehensive qualifying exam, based on the course
work. Following passing the qualifying exam, each student develops his or her
dissertation research area, which is usually completed over the next two years.
Doctoral proficiency encompasses
courses in research methods, electives or a specialization, doctoral seminars,
and a written and oral qualifying examination.
Required core courses:
OPRE 6330 Probability and Stochastic
Processes
MECO 6315 Approaches to Statistical Inference
MAS 6v00 Data Analysis and Software
MECO 6320 Introduction to Econometrics
MECO 6345 Advanced Managerial Economics
OPRE 7320 Optimal Control Theory and Applications
MAS 8V00 Teaching Practicum
Secondary Core Courses (6-12 hours):
Students must take at least two of
the following courses:
OPRE 6311 Game Theory
MECO 7320 Advanced Econometrics
OPRE 6331 Stochastic Models in Operations Research
OPRE 7330 Deterministic Models in Operations Research
Remaining requirements beyond the
core consist of research courses, electives, independent study, and seminars as
approved by the program committee appointed to guide and evaluate each
student. After completion of the coursework to achieve doctoral
proficiency, the student will sit for a written qualifying exam which must be
passed before formal admission to candidacy for the doctorate. The
student must also orally defend the dissertation proposal before starting the
dissertation. Written examination in the area of specialization may also
be required.
The focal point of the Ph.D. program
is the dissertation. The dissertation is written under the direction of
the candidate’s committee. Twelve to twenty-four semester hours may be
granted for the dissertation toward the minimum ninety hour requirement for the
degree. At a time mutually agreeable with the candidate and the members
of the committee, the student will orally defend his or her dissertation to the
satisfaction of the committee. A student must pass in order to have the
Ph.D. degree conferred.
Accounting Concentration
This program is for individuals
seeking training in the most advanced issues, both theoretical and applied, in
the field of Accounting. It is designed to prepare them primarily for teaching
positions in research-oriented universities. Some students may be placed in
senior positions in industry, government or consulting organizations. The
program requires a hands-on training in accounting research, supported by work
in the disciplines of economics, mathematics, psychology and statistics,
culminating in a doctoral dissertation.
Finance Concentration
This program is for individuals
seeking the most advanced academic degree with an emphasis in Finance. It is
designed to prepare them for (1) teaching positions in research-oriented
universities, (2) senior staff positions in industry or government, or (3)
senior positions in consulting organizations; however, the emphasis is on (1).
The program consists of coursework in financial management, investments, and
money and capital markets, together with work in the supporting areas of
economics, mathematics, and statistics; it culminates in a doctoral
dissertation. The program is designed to be completed in three years of
full-time study by a student entering with an appropriate master’s degree.
Information Systems Concentration
This program is designed for
individuals who seek training in advanced theoretical and applied issues in the
field of information systems. The training prepares students for conducting
leading edge research in topics ranging from the design of optimized systems to
the effective use of such systems in organizations. Students undergo rigorous
training in research methodologies as well as in the design of information
systems. The research conducted is often interdisciplinary in nature, and is
characterized by strong analytical modeling of new and emerging issues in
information technology creation and management. The program prepares students
mainly for academic positions in research universities; some students may be
placed in research positions in industry, government, or consulting
organizations.
Marketing Concentration
The purpose of the PhD Program in
Management Science with a marketing
major is to train researchers capable of dealing with the most advanced issues,
both theoretical and applied, in the field of marketing. Universities as well
as major companies with marketing orientation aggressively recruit PhD’s with
strong theoretical and research training in marketing. Graduates will have
rigorous training in disciplinary areas and research methodology. They will
have knowledge of the various research streams in marketing, will have developed a research specialization and a clear
perspective on management issues.
Operations Management Concentration
Operations Management emphasizes the
development of models, methods, applications, and algorithms as they apply to
problems in manufacturing and services. All students will be exposed to deterministic
and stochastic modeling and will have the option of applying and/or developing
these and new methods to solve problems in their selected topics. There will
also be an option of combining a major in Finance, Information Systems or
Marketing with one in Operations Management. The goal of the doctoral program
in Operations Management is to educate future practitioners and researchers in
the concepts and analytical techniques needed to understand and advance
scientific solutions to the problems currently faced by operations managers.
Research
The faculty of the School makes
intellectual contributions in two areas: fundamental scholarship that advances
theory and practice and applied scholarship focusing on practical issues.
The fundamental work includes traditional basic research as well as applied
research that defines new areas of practice and provides general frameworks
that address a wide range of application problems. The applied
scholarship provides "how to" frameworks for skilled practitioners,
uses demonstration cases to show how theories can be applied, and defines new
areas of application for existing tools and techniques.